Foundation and United States Consulate expand partnership

In a meeting promoted on March 28, by the Center for International Relations in Health (Cris/Fiocruz) and the Vice-Presidencies of Research and Biological Collections (VPPCB) and Education, Information and Communication (VPEIC), members of the Consulate General of the United States in Rio de Janeiro continued the partnership process initiated in 2021. The aim is to expand scientific cooperation between Fiocruz and American institutions.

The purpose of the meeting was to expand scientific cooperation between Fiocruz and American institutions (Photo: VPPCB/Fiocruz)

The beginning of the collaboration was announced by the Consul for Economic Affairs, Environment, Health and Technology, Gabrielle Moseley, who stressed the relevance of the exchange in the area of health. "This moment of scientific collaboration and the importance of proximity to institutions in Brazil have given rise to the proposal for an exchange program on demand, so that two Fiocruz professionals can spend 10 days in the USA, in the second half of 2022, and that this process can make them multipliers of science for Brazil as well as for Americans”.

The exchange aims to bring together Brazilians from various health institutions and would take participants to visits to research centers in three cities in the United States, as well as meetings and technical visits with the presence of a translator. The deputy coordinator of Cris/Fiocruz, Pedro Burger, who opened the discussion table of the meeting, explains the importance of the participation of Fiocruz's servers in this exchange. “According to the consulate's proposal, it will be an opportunity for some servers that have not yet had been exposed to exchanges with the US, to get to know on-site the most relevant american institutions for public health.”

Rodrigo Correa, Vice President of Research and Biological Collections, said that “Fiocruz has traditionally worked with the National Institute of Health and that this program with Fiocruz servers will increase opportunities, including strengthening the Foundation's innovation work.”

The integration of Brazilian and American publications was also highlighted by the presence of the director of the Library of Congress, Paul Losch, who praised Fiocruz's open access policy and “the importance of valuing the digitization of all material to reach more users. In the USA, we have the National Library of Medicine, which specializes in health and biological areas, and it is essential to have Fiocruz's books and journals in this session, so that researchers and the entire American society know these publications.”

For Vice President Cristiani Machado (VPEIC/Fiocruz), “in addition to researchers, many Fiocruz students have an interest in American institutions. The tradition of exchange is long and increasing this process can open many doors and generate more and more opportunities.” The general coordinator of VPEIC/Fiocruz, Cristina Guilam, added that “the work for the internationalization of Fiocruz should also seek facilities for students to increase participation in exchanges”. At this point, the consulate will liaise with Education in USA to promote an event to present opportunities and clarify doubts for Fiocruz students.

The meeting was closed by recalling the tribute of the Embassy and Consulates of the United States in Brazil to the president of Fiocruz, Nísia Trindade Lima, who was recognized as one of the seven Brazilian women for the Brazilian Women's Make a Difference award 2022. The date of delivery of the certificate is yet to be determined.